Producing pipe fittings and other hollow articles



June 23, 1931;

H. s. HOLMES PRODUCING PIPE FITTINGS AND OTHER HOLLOW ARTICLES Filed Feb. 11, 1929 Patented June 23, 1931 UNITED "STATES- PATE NT OFFICE 'HENBY SM HOLMES, OI BOOKVILLE CE'KPIEIB- NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB, BY IEBNE AS- SIGNMENTS, '1'O.IETROPOLI'IAN ENGINEERING COMPANY,

YORK, A CORPORATION 01?.NEW YORK 01' BROOKLYN, NEW

PRODUCING PIPE FITTINGS AND OTHER HOLLOW ARTICLES Application filed February 11,- 1929. Serial No. 389,088.

= illustrate the roduction of a T.

I from a fiat blank, Fig. 3.

lateral branch 4- are bent to form the semi- Fi 1 is a ongitudinal section of a tubular b ank. v

Fig. 2 is an end view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a flat blank from which the segments are bent up.

Fig. 4 is an elevation of a finished T partly in section.

.flgig. 5 is a similar view of another style Fig. 6 is a section illustrating an intermediate step.

Hollow fittings-and Similar articles 0 the lejjected in more than one o eration. For

a drop hammer or press to reduce the walls where they are required to be comparatively thin.

I propose to reverse this method by makin the tubular blank with thin .wa s and su ciently elongated to provide the total uantit of metal-needed and by upsetting t e wal s to form the thicker portions. Such a forging operation to thicken the metab is more easl y executed than to thin it. Also the thin walled tubular blank is cheaply and easily made by stamping out segments of sheet'metal of uniform thickness and weldin the segments together.

ii 1 and 2 show such a bla'nkmade with lon itudinal branches 1 and a lateral branch 2. is is made of two se ents each made he ends 3 and the circular rtions 1 and 2, and two such segmental'blfnks are welded together along the centralflongitudinal line 5, ig. 2.

In welding the'segments it is best to use the Murray method in which the edges are pressed together while a current of very high amperage 1s passedacross the joint for a brief period of time. See Reissue ;Patent No. 15,466, dated October 10th, 1922. I have found that such welds are peculiarly well adapted to resist the strain'involved the subsequent upsetting operations without crackintglil The s produced b the welding operation are trimmed off an the thin walled tubular blank placed in the forging machine. The branches 1 are then compressed to form the upset ends 6, and the branch 2 to form the upset end 7. The increased thickness may be at the outside as shown," or it may be at the inside or partly at each side according to the design of the product desired. The shape in Fig. 4 is designed to be threaded internally at the ends as shown at 8 and-9.

Where a flanged fitting is required the ends are spread and bent down in the forging operation and thickenedto form the flanges 10 and 11. The forging referred to may be example in making one of t e end flanges 10 we may first thicken and bend the end to the oblique position 12, Fig. 6, and complete the operation in a subsequent step.

It has been proposed to forge segments of such fittings with wall ortions of varying thickness and to weld suc segments together. This, though more economical than the forg-- ing of the article in a single piece, presents difliculties in welding which are eliminated by the presentmethod of welding segments having edges of uniform thickness throughout their lengths The invention may be'applied to various other tubular products than pipe fittings. For example it may be applied to making the parts of axle housings as described and claimed specifically ina co-pending applicaiiigg of mine, No. 339,024, filed February 11, Various other modifications maybe made by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention as defined in the follow-' ing claims.- g

What I claim is 1. The method of making a tubular product which consists in bending up sheet metal blanks to form segments, welding such segwise pressure to increase its thickness without diminishing its diameter.

2. The method of making a tubular product which consists in bending up sheet metal 5 blanks to form segments, welding such segments together along longitudinal edges to form a thin-walled tubular blank and upsetting an end of said tubular blank by an endwise pressure to increase its thickness and to bend it outward to form a flange.

3. The method of forming a pipe fitting having branches at an angle with each other which consists in bending up a sheet metal blank to form segments, welding such segments together along longitudinal edges to form a tubular blank with uniform thin walls elongated to provide metal for upsetting, and upsetting the ends by an endwise pressure to increase their thickness without diminishing their diameter.

4. The method of forming a pipe fitting having branches at an angle with each other which consists in bending up a sheet metal blank to form segments, welding such seg- 25 ments together along longitudinal edges to form a tubular blank with uniform thin walls elongated to provide metal for upsetting, and upsetting the ends by an endwise pressure to increase their thickness and bending them 30, outward to form flanges.

5. The method of claim 1, welding the segments by pressing the edges together while passing across the joint a current of extremely high amperage for a very brief period of time and thus making a jolnt capable of withstanding the strain of the subsequent upsetting operation.

6. A hollow article having a comparatively thin walled body portion made of sheet metal segments welded together along longitudinal joints and having a thickenedend of at least a. as great adiameter as that of the adjacent unthickened portion, said thickened end being formed by an upsetting pressure in the 145 direction of thejoints.

' 7. A pipe fitting having a comparatively thin walled body portion made of sheet metal segments welded together along longitudinal joints and having thickened ends of at least '60 as great a diameter as that of the adjacent unthickened portion, said thickened ends being formed by an upsetting pressure in a direction parallel to the joints at such ends.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

HENRY S. HOLMES. 

